Dynamics of surface anchoring breaking in a nematic liquid crystal

Abstract
We present a simple dynamical model which describes the time dependence of the threshold electric field for breaking the surface anchoring of nematics. This model includes a surface friction, resulting from volume hydrodynamic dissipation. Experimental data with AC and DC pulsed fields are explained by this model. For DC, the threshold difference versus the field polarity is well-described by the flexo-electric effects in a uniform field for short times and in a non-uniform field for long times.

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